Smoked Chuck Roast Burnt Ends
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When you think of smoked burnt ends, most folks don't think of using chuck roast, but I can tell you that chuck roast burnt ends are just as good as brisket in my opinion, if not better.
I couldn't stop eating them as they were getting finished. Let's just say I ended up with a lot less than I started with ;-)
The cool thing about smoked chuck roast burnt ends is that you have multiple opportunities to add layers of flavor throughout the process.
I used my original rub on the chuck roast during the marinating process and then once they were finished and cut into cubes, adding more of my original rub and sauce took them to that final gooey, delicious, burnt end goodness.
Wanna see every burnt end recipe on this website? Here they are
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Marinate Time: 8-12 hours
- Cook Time: 8 hours + 2 hours*
- Smoker Temp: 240°F (116°C)
- Meat Finish Temp: 190°F (88°C)
- Recommended Wood: Cherry
*8 hours to smoke cook the chuck roast then 2 additional hours to cube it up and turn the pieces into burnt ends.
- 3 lb chuck roast x 2 (find ones that are uniform and even in thickness for best results)
- Lidded container for marinating meat
- 1 large bottle of Worcestershire sauce
- Jeff's original rub
- Jeff's original barbecue sauce
I selected and purchased (2) chuck roasts that were about 3 lbs each and had even thickness and were nicely marbled with fat.
This a great size to work with.
Place the chuck roasts into a lidded container.
Pour about 8 ounces of Worcestershire sauce over the top of the meat.
Add a good sprinkling of Jeff's original rub to the all sides of the meat.
Use a sharp knife to carefully make cuts into the meat down to about the center.
This will pull some of the rub down into the meat along with the liquid.
Carefully drizzle another 8 ounces of Worcestershire sauce onto the top of the meat. Do it slowly so as to not wash the rub away.
The Worcestershire will seep down into the holes we just made, and that's a good thing!
Place the lid on the container and place it in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours if possible.
When you are ready to start smoking the chuck roast, remove the meat from the fridge but don't rinse it or do anything to it. It will come out of the plastic container and go into the smoker as is.
Preheat your smoker to 240°F (116°C) using indirect heat.
If your smoker has a water pan, fill it up.
You will need enough wood chips to produce smoke for at least 4 hours but longer is ok as long as the smoke is light.
By the way, if you're using a pellet smoker, here's 9 of my best tips to help you out.
Once the smoker is ready, place the chuck roast(s) on a Weber grill pan, or pan with a rack to make it easy to take it out to the smoker.
Smoke the meat for 7-8 hours or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads about 190°F (88°C).
Much more than this, and the meat may be too tender to cut into cubes.
I recommend a digital probe meat thermometer such as the “Smoke” by Thermoworks to monitor the temperature of the meat while it cooks.
I did not at any time wrap the meat in foil. You can if you like, but it does mess with the crust formation, and to me, that is a very important part.
The chuck roast should have nice dark, deep mahogany crust when it is finished cooking.
At this point, you could slice the chuck roast and eat it but why do that when you can make burnt ends out of them!
Carry on, stay focused, and your patience will reward you greatly!
Lay the chuck roast on the cutting board.
Cut it into bite sized cubes that are about 1-inch square or the size that you prefer.
Place the cubes into a pan.
Add about ¼ cup of my delicious original barbecue sauce (Purchase formula here | Purchase bottled sauce). You can use more or less depending on how saucy you like them to be.
Go head and get happy with it, don't hold back.
Use a spatula to turn the cubes of meat over and over a few times to get the sauce onto every square inch of surface area.
Now sprinkle ¼ cup of Jeff's original rub all over the top of the meat, and once again, use a spatula to turn them over a few times to make sure they are well coated.
Add more rub if you need it. Every piece should have a fair amount on it.
This sauce and rub combination becomes your crust and is essential to the final product.
Here is where you have a few options:
Option 1: Use the Smoker
Place the pan back into the smoker for about 2 hours at 240°F (116°C) stirring the meat every 30 minutes.
You can add more smoke if you like and the flavor will be really good.
Option 2: Use the Grill
Place the pan of of cubed meat onto the grill over high heat and stir around every few minutes until the outside of the pieces are as dark and caramelized as you like.
Option 3: Use the Broiler on the Oven
Yeah, yeah– it works so why not!
This works just like the grill except it cooks them from the top down rather than from the bottom up.
Stir them around every few minutes and when they get to the desired color and are deeply caramelized, they are done. Get them out of there!
I love just sitting these on the table as smoked appetizers and letting folks just grab and eat, but they also work great as a main entree with a couple of sides or you can pile them high on a bun with your favorite toppings.
Speaking of smoked appetizers, here's all of the smoked appetizers on this website.
The sky's the limit with these bad boys!
Smoked Chuck Roast Burnt Ends
Ingredients
- 3 lb chuck roast x 2 (find ones that are uniform and even in thickness for best results)
- Lidded container for marinating meat
- 16 ounces Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup Jeff's original rub
- ¼ cup Jeff's original barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Place the chuck roast into a lidded container. Pour 4-6 ounces of Worcestershire sauce over the meat then Sprinkle 3-4 TBS of Jeff's original rub evenly and generously onto all sides of the meat.
- Use a sharp knife to make cuts through the top into the center of the meat. Drizzle on the rest of the Worcestershire so it can seep down into the holes/cuts.
- Place a lid on the container and let the meat marinate overnight in the fridge.
- Preheat your smoker to 240°F (116°C) using indirect heat. If your smoker uses a water pan, fill it up.
- Once the smoker is ready, place the meat in the smoker and let it smoke cook for about 8 hours or until it reaches 190°F (88°C) in the thickest part as indicated by a meat thermometer.
- Place the smoked chuck roast onto a cutting board or flat surface and slice it into bite size cubes that are about one inch square or the size that you prefer. Place the cubes into a foil pan. Add about ¼ cup of Jeff's original sauce and ¼ cup of Jeff's original rub onto the meat then stir it around well, making sure it is well coated.
- Place the pan of meat back into the smoker at 240°F (116°C) for about 2 hours stirring every 30 minutes. When the color is right and the sauce/rub is caramelized, they are done.
- Serve and enjoy!
I’m always on a quest for good burnt ends recipes (beef or pork) and these are by far the best for beef I’ve made yet. I don’t have any of Jeff’s rubs or sauces so I used something else. The tenderness and the crust were both perfect.
Will cook time be reduced for one 3 pound chuck roast ?
Personally I just cut the beef up into cubes, toss them in dry rub and let them sit in the fridge overnight, and then put them in the smoker for 4 hours or so. I like the chuck burnt ends as much as the pork belly burnt ends!
Made this on a whim, had to improvise for rub as I didn’t have Jeff’s. Used a paring knife and got stabby with it and followed his recipe. My PB Laredo tends to be on the slower side of smokers when it comes to cooking so I put my two 4lb roasts on overnight and hit the 185-190 mark about right when I aimed to. They were a hit! Great instructions and advice, wish I could post a pic of how it came out. This is definitely one for the recipe book. Thanks Jeff!
Best advice I can give is don’t rush the smoker. Every piece of meat is different. Every stall is different. Give yourself extra time and worst case scenario, you get done early and you gotta put it in the oven at 170* or do like I did, pre heat a yeti cooler with boiling water and put it in there (in a pan/container of some sort) and it was still piping hot almost 4 hours later when it was time to eat. Happy smoking y’all! :)
I made this last weekend; they turned out great. I did find that it took about 10 hours to get to 190. So, I just had to suck down a couple extra beers while I waited. Meat was delicious.
The only thing I do different is I cube the meat first and then smoke it on a stainless slotted pan for meats, vegetables, etc. After 2 hours or so I put it in the foil pan with some broth and cover it with foil. I let it cook for a couple of hours more and it is soooo awesome!! My total time on the Weber is about 4 hours
I’ve made these several times and they turn out great. I was wondering if there is a recommended way to smoke the roast the day before and refrigerate overnight. Then cut into cubes the next day and warm up and sauce? Thanks!
I was wondering the exact same thing. Sad no one has responded
Not speaking from direct experience but if you have a sous vide cooker, I’d do that. Its a great way to reheat smoked meats without overcooking/drying out.
I love simple recipes and I know my friends are going to love this.
I have made this recipe four times and will again for Christmas Eve. If you simply follow the steps, it is stupid proof. This is truly meat candy. My sister-in-law made a special request for them this year. This time I am going to use my grill on high. I think it may a little less hassle than stirring every 30 minutes in my smoker.
I made these last night, two roasts. Used my own rub, with the Worsteshire sauce. Smoked on my grill with mesquite ( smoker had a SRF pork butt in it). Pulled at 186 or so, rub and light sauce, on the grill at 375 or so, mixed every 5 minutes, served 20 minutes later. TASTY is an understatement! Was cooking for NMCB 25 (Navy Seebees), and was absolutely devoured. Excellent recipe, thank you!!
Jeff, this recipe works well, I’ve made them twice by this method. They are extremely lean when compared to typical brisket burnt ends from the point, and some may like them overly lean. Based upon the cost of chuck now (2022), brisket is a bit cheaper here and tastes better. I found no time savings in chuck vs. brisket so I’ll opt for the brisket for my burnt ends and enjoy the juicy-fatty point.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for continuing your website and research into smoking. I love the ideas you conjure up and it makes us all better chefs.
Hi Jeff,, my husband and I just watched your video for your Burnt Ends and it differs from your recipe. On the video you show putting Worschestire sauce on first then the rub. The recipe says to put the rub on first then the Worschetire sauce and to marinate overnight? The video didn’t mention overnight. Also, the recipe says to put the meat back on the smoker for 2 hours stirring every 30 minutes. The video shows to put back on smoker for 30 minutes stirring every 8-10 minutes. We are a bit confused and wonder which of these recipes/video will give us the best results. Thanks
Donna, some of my recipes/videos match up exactly and others I take a little liberty with especially if I do the recipe and the video at a different time. As you probably know, there are lots of ways to do things and get great results. Regarding the chuck roast, I always recommend placing the rub on the night before if you have time. The less important things are the order of the rub and Worcestershire sauce. Placing the Worcestershire sauce on first probably makes more sense since it will then act as a binder for the rub and of course you don’t have to worry about washing the rub off the meat like you do if you pour it on afterwards.
The method you use once the meat is done and cut up comes down to time as I believe I showed the quick method on the video but in the written recipe I just used the smoker and left it another 2 hours. It mostly ends up the same except you do get a little extra smoke flavor with the slower method.
Let me know if you have further questions about this.
Made these for my first real smoke today. Used the original rub but my own sauce that I’ve had for years. Gotta say it was well worth the time invested and confirmed why I’ve wanted a smoker all these years. Kids and wife were eating the cubes before I could get them sauced and back on the smoker. My wife doesn’t normally like smoked food but she really liked the roast and the finished burn ends. Big win at our house today now for some ribs tomorrow.
I have made these several times, usually with a little variation, and am never disappointed.
One thing I have changed some is the BBQ sauce. Jeff’s recipe is great, but my variation to the recipe has been a huge hit. I use roasted garlic cloves and double (or more, depending on my mood) the # suggested, add more molasses and half the black pepper (wife has low heat tolerance) and always make a double or triple recipe. It’s the only BBQ sauce I use now.
Ive made this recipe three times now – always a big hit. I make a couple of minor modifications – Using Beef Rib Finger meat makes for a much faster cook. And I use half Original BBQ Rub and Half Jeffs Texas Rub. Its a bit less heat, a bit more savory. Sauce is excellent on these but totally not required !
Itryed this recipe for burnt ends this week and thy came out fantastic. chuck roast worked out perfectly….
I’ve used your recipes Jeff, and they’re great! I’m wondering why you don’t do videos?
Steve L.
If I bu6nyour book does include rub & sauce recipe.
Rick, The (2) recipes that I sell on the website and in the newsletter are not included in the book. We have opted to keep them separate since so many people have purchased them prior to the book being published.
I do offer a coupon to book owners for 20% off the purchase of the recipes. Simply send me proof of purchase (amazon invoice, picture of you holding the book, etc.) and I will send you the coupon code.
Please let me know if you have further questions about the book or the recipes.
Hello, I bought the recipe again. Many years ago, but can’t find it because my hard drove on my computer checked out. Do I have to purchase again? It was over 10 years ago I believe.
I just re-sent the recipes link to your email. If you don’t see it, check your spam filter then let me know if you need further help.
To all apartment people, take bbq pit away from building out in parking lot.
There’s no city ordinance I know of anywhere says you can’t bbq in parking lot. Just tell manager what your gonna do for party whatever maybe in pool area also.
If apartment says no I’d move but can always use side of street and cook next to apartment on right if way. Then it’s cops judgement call. They don’t care usually if your making bbq to feed family that’s ridiculous anyway. People need to mind own business until their apartment is on fire then they can complain.
Get a Masterbuilt 30 or 40 inch Electric Smoker and you can smoke meat right on your patio all day long with no worries. I do it at the luxury apartment complex we live in almost every weekend. These do not create any actual flame and just enough heat to get wood chips smoking. Very safe for apartment patio cooking, and the results are amazing.
Can you cook this in oven if don’t have smoker?
Now a family favorite. Simple and taste better than any burnt ends I get near me.
I was so happy with how this turned out that I was HAPPY to purchase the rub/sauce recipes to help support the site. OUTSTANDING. I can’t wait to make these again this week.
Thanks, Jeff!!
I followed the recipe as directed and I smoked them at 225. At the 6th hour the internal temp read 170. I felt that the meat was drying out. I pulled them,rested and cut into cubes. The flavor was outstanding, but the meat seemed dry and very chewy. What did I do wrong?
You pulled them too soon. As Jeff mentions, they need to be pulled at 190 so they’re not TOO soft to cut into cubes. By putting them back on the smoker/grill/oven after cubing, the temp increases a few more degrees, approaching 200 and becoming even more tender.
OUT-DANG-STANDING
Jeff, When I read the recipe for Chuck roast burnt ends it says to put the meat directly on the smoker grate, but in the video it looks like you cool it in a disposable pan. Just looking for some clarification here please. Thank you Sir!
Matthew
Matthew, I write the two recipes separately since one of them is a more summarized version and sometimes I just have a brain fart. I have corrected the printable version to show that you can use a foil pan to contain the juices or place it directly on the grate if you prefer. I like to use a pan because it contains the mess, catches the juices and, in my opinion, keeps the meat more moist while it cooks. Placing it directly on the grates does give it better smoke access and produces a slightly better crust.
Do you think that these can be made a day ahead of time? I would like to smoke the chuck, cube it, then let it sit in the fridge overnight. I would then use the grill to reheat and caramelize the next day.
Wondering the same thing. Did it work refrigerating it overnight?
Chuck roast Burnt ends were the bomb I had to make a second batch because We couldn’t stop eating them before I got the sauce on them. But either way they are delicious and thanks for sharing the recipe.
I’ve been smoking the meat for an hour and 15 at 240* and it’s already at 167*. The recipe says take it off at 190 or 8 hours. Will the temp stall or should I expect a shorter cook time?
I have made this twice now, very tasty
Very easy on prep and cook. I injected instead of puncturing. Great crust, flavor. Very tender. Turned out beautifully. Great way to make burnt ends without hassling with the flat. Thanks for the recipe.
Unfortunately i live in an apartment complex, an apartment complex that just recently decided that i can no longer use my electric smoker on my cement patio…. i was wondering if you could still use most of these recipes when cooked in the oven? obviously i won’t get the awesome smokiness but if i throw some liquid smoke in maybe i can get something kind of close?
Yes.. just follow the same cooking temperatures and the recipes will still work.
Did one 3 lb’er – cut ingredients in half…cooked 6 hours at 225 in smoker and 1 in the oven at 320 (not wrapped, just in the same pan). Crust was fantastic!
Great ideas, Jeff! Keep them coming
Turned out great Thank you for all your recipes Jeff.
Jeff,
Love the recipe, much as I (and the whole family!!) do love your pork burnt ends recipe.
But I’m confused…why not just treat the chuck in the same manner as the pork butt, that is: cube, rub, smoke, sauce, smoke, rub, serve.
The short question is: why are the chuck roasts smoked whole and not as cubes?
That being said: keep up the good work, your creativity has been an inspiration!
Jeff- you make my mouth water just looking at the pics. I never thought of smoking a chuck roast, but will this weekend!!! I love everything about this website. Keep up the great work, and thank you for the endless opportunities you give us each and every week!
Looks awesome, just want to confirm that you only season one side before smoking.
Making it this weekend. I’m going to flip it after i just put a little warshwarsh on the top, rub, stab, flip then do again. I dont see it doing anything but good things by doing this..
I’ll come back and comment!
I seasoned both sides and used a fork to puncture instead of cutting slits.